Peterbilt adds Bendix Wingman option to heavy-duty models

Friday, October 1, 2010In July, Bendix Wingman ACB became available for immediate order on a range of Peterbilt models, including the flagship Model 587 (shown here), with delivery beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010.

ELYRIA, Ohio —Peterbilt Motors Co. has announced production availability of Bendix Wingman ACB (Active Cruise with Braking) as an option for its heavy-duty truck models.

Peterbilt is the latest OEM to make available the technology by Bendix, according to Fred Andersky, Bendix director of marketing-controls.

Bendix Wingman ACB is designed to deliver driver-friendly, forward collision warning and mitigation using full vehicle and braking system integration, Andersky said. The technology delivers warnings and proactive interventions to help drivers avoid collisions. Peterbilt announced its intent to offer Bendix Wingman ACB this year at the 2010 Mid-America Trucking Show. In July, Bendix Wingman ACB became available for immediate order on a range of Peterbilt models, including the flagship Model 587, with delivery beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010.

“Peterbilt is committed to highway safety, and our choice of Bendix Wingman ACB demonstrates that commitment,” Landon Sproull, Peterbilt chief engineer, said. “Peterbilt customers expect the best in performance and quality. We can trust Bendix to help us deliver it.”

Using a radar sensor mounted to the front of the vehicle, the system assists the driver to maintain a set following distance between the truck and the forward vehicle. With cruise control on and speed set, Wingman ACB will warn and provide active interventions – reducing throttle, engaging the engine retarder and, if necessary, automatically applying the foundation brakes to help the driver maintain the intended following distance.

When cruise control is not engaged, the driver still receives the benefit of following distance alerts to let him/her know if he/she is getting too close to the forward vehicle. This can be especially helpful during those conditions when cruise control should not be used, such as inclement weather and heavy traffic.

“Bendix is thrilled to be partnering with Peterbilt to deliver this exciting safety technology to their customers,” Andersky said. “It’s another milestone for Bendix in helping to keep our roadways safer and fleet operating margins strong.”

Bendix Wingman ACB is built upon the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program, full-stability technology that helps drivers mitigate rollover and loss-of-control situations on dry, wet and snow- and ice-covered roadways.

Citing data reporting over 11,000 rollovers and 4,000 jackknife crashes that occurred on our nation’s highways in 2008, Andersky noted there is more to a truck crash than just a collision. He added that, “Often, rollovers start with a loss of control – a situation which Bendix ESP can help mitigate.”

Wingman ACB includes “always on” driver warnings and Stationary Object Alerts, and is also upgradable for future advancements, such as automatic emergency braking interventions, which help drivers mitigate collisions when cruise control is not on and set. The Stationary Object Alert system provides always-on audible and visual alerts to the driver when the vehicle is approaching a stationary metallic object, such as a car, steel drum, or other road obstruction blocking the lane. The alert is given to the driver up to 3.0 seconds before a potential impact, enabling the driver to appropriately respond to the impending threat. The warning, like all the alerts available with the system, is always on. In today’s commercial vehicle market, Wingman ACB is the only collision-mitigation system using brake interventions to offer stationary object alerts, Andersky said. The system is available on highway vehicles from Peterbilt, Kenworth, International, Mack and Volvo.

In addition to helping drivers in the field, Bendix Wingman ACB provides fleet with data, including following-distance measures and stability interventions that fleets can use in their driver training efforts and fleet operations.

“Whether you’re a large fleet, a small fleet, or an owner-operator, safety contributes to the bottom line,” Andersky said. “There were 28,000 rear-end collisions in 2008 involving heavy trucks. Fleets often tell us that preventing one crash could justify the cost for outfitting fleets with the Bendix Wingman ACB technology.”